The European Research Council (ERC) provides financial support in form of grants to excellent researchers and their teams to promote vanguard research activities that have a high risk or high benefit potential. It is expected that the financed research leads to significant progress in the state of the art and serves industry as well as businesses.

ERC grants are part of the 1st pillar of Horizon Europe and have a total budget of 16 billion euros.

Main characteristics:

• Excellence: the only evaluation criteria is excellence
• All fields of research: researchers can come from any research field
• Independent researcher: researchers can be from any nationality and age ready to relocate to a EU or associated country (at least 50% of its time)
• Individual researcher: researchers have to apply by themselves or with small groups (Synergy) with a Principal Researcher but consortia are not allowed
• Optimal conditions: excellent conditions have to be offered by the hosting institution (public or private) to perform independent research
• Open science: open access to all peer-reviewed publications, Data Management Plan after 6 months of the project, data management according to FAIR principles
• Gender equality: equality of opportunity and gender is being considered in the research
• Ethical principles: national and international principles and law have to be respected as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights

Management: The ERCEA is the executive agency of the European Commission that implements the ERC strategy defined by the scientific council and is responsible for the general management of the grant.

All proposals have to be ground-breaking, innovative, ambitious and viable.

Starting grant

• Grant for a project led by an excellent researcher when creating its team or its independent research programme
• Researcher needs PhD title with 2-7 years of experience before the 1st of January of the year when presenting the proposal
• Grant up to 1.5M€ (exceptionally above 1M€) for a maximum of 5 years
• 50% of time dedication to the ERC project and 50% of time in the EU or associated country
• Early achievements track record: up to 5 publications, monograph, patent, prize, presentation in international scientific conferences

Consolidator grant

• Grant for a project led by an excellent researcher when consolidating its team or its independent research programme
• Researcher needs PhD title with 7-12 years of experience before the 1st of January of the year when presenting the proposal
• Grant up to 2M€ (exceptionally above 1M€) for a maximum of 5 years
• 40% of time dedication to the ERC project and 50% of time in the EU or associated country
• Early achievements track record: up to 10 publications, monograph, patent, prize, presentation in international scientific conferences

Advanced grant

• Grant for a project led by an excellent senior researcher with an outstanding research track-record in the last 10 years
• Grant up to 2.5M€ (exceptionally above 1M€) for a maximum of 5 years
• 30% of time dedication to the ERC project and 50% of time in the EU or associated country
• Early achievements track record: up to 10 publications, monograph, patent, prize, presentation in international scientific conferences

Synergy grant

• Grant to give support to a small group of excellent researchers (from 2 to 4) to provide solutions to interdisciplinary problems and demonstrate the complementarity as well as the added value of joint research
• Grant up to 10M€ (exceptionally above 4M€) for a maximum of 6 years

Proof of concept

• Grant for researchers with projects already financed by the ERC
• The grant aim to show the innovative potential of projects and convert the results of the research in a proposition with commercial and social value
• Grant up to 150.000€ for a maximum of 1 year. It is possible to have more than 1 Proof of concept for the same ERC project. There are different cut-off dates along the year.